Creating A Stunning Wedding Bouquet: A Step-By-Step Guide

Creating a wedding bouquet is a fun and creative way to express yourself on your big day. Making your own bouquet can be a meaningful experience, allowing you to connect with your design and make your wedding journey feel even more special. It gives you the freedom to customise your bouquet to match your wedding theme and personal style. Whether you're crafting it for yourself or a loved one, a DIY wedding bouquet is a great way to add a unique and memorable touch to the celebration. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps of creating a stunning and personalised wedding bouquet.

Choosing your flowers

If you're working with a coloured theme, you may want to choose flowers that match the theme to ensure your bouquet is coherent with the rest of the wedding. Traditionally, most flowers in a bridal bouquet are white, with some pastel colours like pink. However, you can choose any colours and flowers that you want. For example, if you're having a fall wedding, you may want to add in fall florals like chrysanthemums and dahlias.

The type of flowers you choose will also depend on the style of bouquet you want. If you're going for a classic, tight bouquet, you may want to use fewer varieties of flowers and very little greenery. On the other hand, if you want something more whimsical, like a garden-inspired cascading arrangement, you'll need more varieties of flowers and greenery.

When choosing your flowers, it's also important to consider the cost. If you're on a tight budget, you can save money by sourcing the flowers yourself from a local grocery store or flower market, or by choosing flowers that are in season. Daffodils, peonies, lilacs, and tulips are in bloom in the spring, while chrysanthemums and dahlias are best for fall.

Selecting your tools

Before you start constructing your bouquet, you'll need to gather the right tools and materials. Here is a list of the tools and supplies you will need to create a beautiful and professional-looking DIY wedding bouquet:

• Floral scissors or a sharp pair of floral snips: Floral scissors are specially designed with ridges that cut through flower stems without crushing them. Using regular kitchen scissors can crush and fray stems, reducing the vase life of the flowers and affecting their ability to draw up water.
• Stem cutter or a very sharp knife: You will need this to cut the flower stems at an angle.
• Ribbon: Choose a ribbon in a complementary colour to your flowers or wedding theme. The ribbon is used to wrap around the stems and create a handle for the bouquet. You can also use it to tie a bow near the handle for a decorative touch.
• Floral tape: Floral tape is used to secure the flowers together and create a neat, uniform look. It is typically green but can also be found in other colours.
• Corsage pins or straight pins: These are used to secure the ribbon to the stems and create a pearl design on the ribbon wrap.
• Wire and floral wire: Wire is used to tie around the stems to secure them before trimming. Floral wire can be used to hide any exposed wires and keep the bouquet neat and organised.
• Hot glue gun: A hot glue gun can be used to secure the ribbon to the stems and create a handle.
• Bucket of water: You will need a bucket of cool water to place the flower stems in while you are preparing and arranging them.
• Mirror: A mirror will help you see what the bouquet looks like as you are constructing it. Stand in front of a mirror so you can see how the shape is progressing.

With these tools and a bit of creativity, you'll be well on your way to creating a stunning DIY wedding bouquet.

Preparing your flowers

Before you start constructing your bouquet, make sure the flower stems and greenery are prepped and ready. Remove all the leaves from your floral stems and the bottom halves of your greenery stems. If you are using roses, remove any guard petals—these are the dull or brown outer petals that florists include to protect the blooms during transit.

Next, snip the bottom of each stem at a 45-degree angle and keep them in a bucket of water as you assemble your bouquet. This will help keep your flowers fresh. Be sure to consider your current climate and the flowers' natural habitats. If temperatures are high or you are using tropical blooms during a dry spell, research the best way to keep them vibrant until your big day.

Timing

One of the key considerations of making your own wedding bouquet is timing. Ideally, source your flowers two days before the wedding, create the bouquet the day before, and add the ribbon on the day of the nuptials. This will ensure that, on your wedding day, your blooms are at their best.

Arranging your bouquet

Choose your flowers and greenery:

Select flowers and greenery that complement your wedding dress and colour palette. Consider whether you want to use complementary or contrasting colours. For a modern and simple design, use fewer varieties of florals and minimal greenery. For a more whimsical, garden-inspired look, choose more varieties of flowers and greenery with different textures and shapes.

Remove leaves:

Strip the leaves from the flower stems. Be gentle to avoid damaging the stems. This step will give your bouquet a cleaner look and help you get rid of any mess before you start arranging.

Pick your focal flower:

Choose a flower that will be the centrepiece of your bouquet. This could be a flower that stands out due to its colour or size. Hold this flower near the blossom end, and add the next flower at an angle, facing towards the left, ensuring the blooms are at the same height.

Add more flowers:

Continue adding flowers, rotating the bouquet a quarter turn to the right each time. Place larger flowers towards the centre and smaller accent flowers around the edges to create a globe-like shape. Play around with the placement of flowers until you're happy with the arrangement.

Add filler flowers:

Once you have the bulk of your bouquet ready, insert smaller, green filler flowers between the larger blooms. These add a natural look to the bouquet and help fill any gaps. Ensure you insert these at the same angle to maintain symmetry.

Secure the stems:

Tie the stems tightly together with wire or string. Cut off any excess so that it doesn't show when you walk down the aisle. You can also use floral tape to secure the stems and give them a neater appearance.

Trim the stems:

Measure two hand lengths from the string, and add an extra few centimetres to ensure the bouquet is comfortable to hold. Cut the stems to this length, being careful not to make them too short.

Wrap the stems:

Use floral tape to wrap the stems, starting from the top and going down about three-quarters of the way. This will give your bouquet a professional finish and hold everything firmly in place.

Add ribbon:

Wrap your choice of ribbon around the stems to cover the floral tape. Secure the ribbon with a small amount of hot glue at the back of the bouquet. Tie a bow with the ribbon, leaving a fair amount of excess to create a flowing, elegant effect.

Final touches:

Add any final touches, such as pearl floral pins or other decorative accents, to complete your custom bridal bouquet.

Finishing touches

Now that your bouquet is almost complete, it's time to add some final flourishes. Here are some ideas for the finishing touches to your DIY wedding bouquet:

Ribbon

Adding a ribbon to your bouquet is a great way to elevate the design and add a polished finishing touch. Cut two pieces of ribbon, each about 1.5 metres long. Take the first piece of ribbon and tie it around the stems of the bouquet, just below the blooms, to create a "handle". Use an opaque ribbon to hide any glue that may be used to secure it. Then, take the second piece of ribbon and tie it around the stems, leaving a fair amount of excess to create a flowing, elegant look. Tie a bow with a single or multiple loops—experiment with different styles to see what looks best with your bouquet. You can also try ribbons of different colours or add accents to the middle of the bow.

Floral Tape

Floral tape is useful for securing the stems of your bouquet and giving it a professional finish. Wrap the tape around the stems, starting just below the blooms and moving downwards, covering any exposed wire or stray stems. This will also help to protect your hands while you hold the bouquet.

Pins

Add some pearl floral pins to the front of your bouquet for a touch of extra elegance. Insert the pins from a downward angle to prevent them from poking through.

Charms

For a truly unique touch, consider adding a charm to your bouquet. This could be a vintage trinket or something new—it's a great way to add a personal element to your arrangement.

Frequently asked questions